In one livid slicing movement, Ben beheaded the nearest vampire. Blood spurted everywhere, but I kept my lips clamped together. The remaining vampire looked infuriated and ran at us, incensed further by the death of his fellows. He jumped on Ben, pinning him to the floor. The vampire bared his teeth, ready to bite…
I pushed the sword straight through the vampire’s cold heart. He collapsed on top of Ben, groaning as the life left him. Ben pushed him off and stood up carefully.
“You saved my life!”
“Don’t go all sappy on me!” I scoffed, secretly thrilled. Finally, I had done something worthwhile, even if it was wielding Muggle weapons. I felt elated; I even forgot the threat of my parents and the Dark Lord. All that mattered was my pounding heart, the adrenalin pumping through my veins and my flushed skin. I was properly alive for the first time.
A loud sobbing caught my attention. The Muggle was still in the alleyway, looking at Ben and me and howling. I used a quick cleaning spell to get the blood off us, and then walked over to her. “What’s your name?”
“J- Jade,” she squeaked between her cries, clearly terrified.
“I’m Evie, he’s Ben. Are you okay? They didn’t bite you or anything?”
She shook her head. “So- vampires- do- do they-”
“Exist?” said Ben seriously. “Yes.”
What little color there was left in her face vanished and she swayed dangerously on the spot, as though she were about to faint. I gripped her arm, keeping her upright. “Are there any more?”
“No,” she said weakly.
“Obliviate!” said Ben sharply.
At once Jade’s eyes became unfocused. Her childish features became smooth as all the terror was swept from her memory. I grabbed Ben’s arm and we Apparated back to the hotel. Alison raised her eyebrows knowingly; she obviously thought we had gone for a romantic walk. I smiled sweetly at her as we passed and she grinned insanely. Not only was the woman irritatingly childish, she was also a hopeless romantic.
Once we were out of Alison’s hearing range, Ben muttered, “What do you think? Fancy being my partner?”
I nodded and went to my room. Now all the excitement was over, the panic was filling me again. I hoped we would go somewhere else the next day. Staying in one place made me feel trapped, as though my parents could burst in through the window at any moment. I wasn’t afraid of them; they had shown me nothing but kindness and love. I was afraid of going back to sleep and never experiencing life again. I was also afraid of the Dark Lord. My parents had never betrayed, not even when their freedom was at stake. He must have done something pretty awful to Draco to make them pretend I was dying. As I fell into a troubled sleep, nightmares began to plague me.
“Blood traitor,” someone hissed. “You’re a filthy blood traitor. Now you die!”
I woke up, drenched in cold sweat. My heart was pounding as though I had just run a race. All I could remember of my dream was the one phrase I had heard before I had woken up. It haunted me. I had saved a Muggle, gone against the Dark Lord. As far as my family would be concerned, I was as bad as the Weasleys.
You can’t go back. You must keep going. You’ve made your choice; you must stick to it.
For once, I didn’t tell my brain to shut up. I agreed with it. I got out of bed and peered out of the window. Everything was still and bathed in dim gray light. The first birds were beginning to wake up and twitter. It was as if I were the only person in the world.
I went back to bed and drifted into an uneasy sleep. I woke up the next morning with a headache, but ignored it as I packed my things. I finished by midday; I wanted to get out of the hotel as soon as possible.
Ben was milling around in the lobby, reading the notices about lost items that were plastered on a wooden notice board. When he saw me, his boyish features split into a wide grin.
“You ready to get going?” Ben asked.
I nodded, and we walked back through the sickeningly sweet garden and to the forest. He grabbed my arm tightly and we reappeared outside a dingy-looking Muggle inn.
“Vampires around here,” Ben explained, as we walked towards it.
It looked seedy; a yellow neon sign flickered unevenly, bearing the words The Black Rider. About a dozen motorcycles, all rusty and metallic, were clustered around a metal bike shed at the end of the concrete parking lot. The inn itself was built with sturdy bricks and timber pillars, painted black, and the bricks a rust colored. Various advertisements for beers adorned the dirty windows, and as we walked through the door, I could hear the neon sign buzzing like a beehive.
There was a smoky haze. The one room was filled with what looked like glowing white balls, which gave out dim, flickering light. Thirty Muggles sat upon rickety stalls, drinking from large glasses. The women were old and scantily clad, whereas the men looked intimidating, their muscular forms covered with strips of shiny black leather. In the far corner, a few surrounded a battered looking table covered with green felt, all clutching long sticks and trying to knock brightly colored balls into one of the four holes that were set in each corner. Many were smoking cigarettes, but a few sucked upon cheap cigars.
Two barmaids were on duty, flirting and batting their eyelashes in fruitless attempts to get tips. The men jeered and tried to sneak glances down their low-cut vests.
“No,” I said quietly.
“I know it’s a bit rough-” Ben began, but a fat man with a hairy chest cut him off.
“All right, darling?” asked the fat man. “Want a real man?”
“I already have one,” I said coolly, moving closer to Ben.
“Oi, you!” called the barmaid, her tone teasing. “Leave the poor girl alone!” She walked out from behind the narrow bar, revealing her short legs that were swathed in fishnet tights and her bare abdomen.
I did not know where to look.
“Did you two order the room?” she asked. When Ben nodded, she continued, “I wouldn’t go out tonight, if I was you. There is a gang of mass murderers running about; the police are baffled. They cannot find ‘em anywhere. They look and look, but there’s no hide or hair of them anywhere.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “There’s a rumor, you know. They’ve been saying that there’s vampires’ running round!” she cackled madly. “I ain’t trying to put you off or nothing- mind you. I am just warning you. Well, have a good night.”
With that, she went back behind the bar and resumed behaving alluringly.
“You see,” muttered Ben. “This is the closest place to it.”
“Humph!” I snorted haughtily. “I must be the first of my kind to ever-”
I broke off. A blond man with sallow skin had just passed a dingy mirror, and no reflection had appeared. I remembered that only vampires and ghouls had this property, and as the only smells were of tobacco and alcohol, that the man must be a vampire.
“What?” asked Ben, his eyes following my gaze.
The vampire sat with two other people. I could tell by their emaciated figures and sunken eyes that they were also vampires. One had long, red hair and the other matted black curls. They sipped from hipflasks, not glasses like the rest. One look at Ben told me my suspicions were correct.
We walked over towards them, Ben with quick, easy strides, whereas I fluttered along nervously behind. The vampires smelt us before we even got there. They all stood up and began walking towards us.
“Hey!” said the barmaid. “I don’t want any trouble!”
We ignored her. The Muggles crowded round, excited about the unexpected entertainment. I knew that they though Ben and I stood no chance; after all, they didn’t know our shoulder bags were filled with weapons.
“Want to take this outside?” Ben whispered.
The blond vampire rolled his eyes. “For a Hunter, you seem to lack in information about our kind.”
“How did we manage to spot you then?” I sneered, raising an eyebrow.
“We will enjoy you. Magical blood is far more replenishing than that of Muggles,” said another vampire, with long red hair. “And both so young…”
“I don’t think so!” I said, pulling a sword from my bag.
Ben imitated me, and the bar erupted with screams. The Muggles raced towards the tiny door, pushing over tables and forming a vast, hysterical crowd in front of it.
“Ring the police!” screamed the barmaid.
The blond vampire growled and ran at me. He pinned me to the floor, squeezing the wrist that held the sword. I heard my bones crack and screamed. With my uninjured hand, I grabbed the sword and pushed it through his chest. At once, his jaws stopped snapping together and his blood streamed onto my clothes as I gasped in pain. I couldn’t move.
Ben was fighting the other two. He had a sword in his right hand and a stake in his left, and he was brandishing them wildly as the vampires circled him, trying to find a way to get in and take a clear bite.
The redhead managed to dart out of sight, and snuck up behind him. I saw him gaze hungrily at Ben’s exposed neck.
“Ben!” I screamed.
Ben jumped forwards, escaping the fangs just in time. The black haired vampire lifted him up and flung him into a jukebox that stood in one corner. Multicolored glass shattered and shards flew everywhere, showering the panicking Muggle crowd. Sparks hissed and sizzled, setting fire to the shades pulled back by the nearest window.
The redhead saw me trapped beneath the dead blonde-haired vampire. He kicked the body off and made to throw himself on top of me. I rolled out of the way just in time, so that his body collided with the wooden floor with a loud thud.
Holding my sore wrist to my chest, I ran over to Ben and pulled him up. Slightly dazed, he gazed at the fire in wonder. It had spread to the bar, fed by the highly flammable alcohol. Coughing, I pushed the redhead into it.
A loud scream told me I had aimed well. I averted my eyes and looked for the black-haired vampire. He was hissing and spitting, backing away from the fire. I threw my sword, desperate for it to hit him. It did and he fell silently to the floor, dead instantly.
All relief that I had felt upon the death of the vampires vanished as I realized my situation. I was trapped inside a burning building, I was in pain, and Ben was barely conscious.
Or so I had thought. The smoke choked him, forcing him back to full alertness.
“Evie, what are you doing?” he exclaimed. “We’ve got to go, now!”
And with that, he grabbed my arm and Apparated us out of there.
Enchanted Slumber by Lyratearsx
Chapter Notes: Sorry about the wait!